One in four Belgian poultry farms infected with Salmonella

About a quarter of Belgian poultry farms are
contaminated with salmonella, higher than the European average and three times
the rate recorded in the Netherlands, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)
said in a report.

The European Food Safety Authority said more than 50% of
poultry farms in some EU countries are contaminated with
salmonella.

Its report also revealed that of the major commercial
poultry farms in Belgium 26.2% were infected, newspaper 'Het Nieuwsblad'
reported on Tuesday.

This is higher than the EU average of 20.3%.
Just 7.9% of Dutch farms are infected.

The Federal Food Agency in
Belgium is aware of the problem, but said it has intensified the battle against
salmonella in recent years.

Currently the country has a voluntary
vaccination programme against salmonella in farms.

"We are seeing
today a spectacular improvement in battery hens and reduced salmonella poisoning
is being reported among the public, " a spokesman said.

About 10,000
salmonella poisoning cases among humans are reported each year in
Belgium.

In the near future, poultry farms will be obligated to
vaccinate their birds against salmonella. However, the vaccine is not a 100%
guarantee.

Salmonella in chicken meat and raw eggs is one of the
biggest causes of food poisoning in Belgium. This has a lot to do with kitchen
hygiene, because random tests have shown that less than 3% of the eggs at an
infected farm are contaminated with the salmonella bacteria.